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GSA Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA - 2018

Paper No. 281-4
Presentation Time: 2:20 PM

EFFECT OF CALCIUM AND BICARBONATE ON IRON REMOVAL DURING GROUNDWATER TREATMENT (Invited Presentation)


VAN DE WETERING, Stephan, Process Technology, Brabant Water N.V., Magistratenlaan 200,, 's-Hertogenbosch, 5223 MA, Netherlands

Groundwater is the main source of drinking water in the North-Brabant Province of the Netherlands. Brabant Water, the public water supply company of the region, pumps 200 million cubic meter of the raw groundwater from a depth between 25-300 meter. The groundwater is treated in 32 plants and supplied to a population of 2.5 million across the province.

Water treatment plant Eindhoven is the largest groundwater water treatment plant of Brabant Water, producing 25 Mm3/year drinking water. The produced drinking water is of high quality. The current treatment scheme comprises tower aeration, pre-rapid sand filtration, lime and potassium permanganate dosing in pre-filtrate and post-rapid sand filtration. In 2018 the treatment facility will have to be renovated and currently the process technology department of Brabant Water is investigating options to optimize the treatment design.

This talk is focused on the influence of calcium and bicarbonate on the filterability of iron particles during rapid sand filtration. Pilot tests at Water Treatment Plant Eindhoven show that dosing calcium and bicarbonate can improve iron removal during rapid sand filtration. Higher concentrations of these ions in raw water may lead to better removal of iron in rapid sand filters. These new insights gave process technologists an extra dimension to look at iron removal. It was already very helpful in optimizing iron removal / lowering turbidity at several groundwater treatment plants of Brabant Water. The specific role of Ca and HCO3 during Fe removal in classic rapid sand filtration need to be studied further to gain mechanistic insights.

Based on the findings, an alternative treatment scheme for water treatment plant Eindhoven has been proposed. The alternative scheme includes caustic soda (NaOH) dosing in the raw water to raise the HCO3 concentration, tower aeration and single step rapid sand filtration. The alternative treatment scheme at Eindhoven is expected to reduce chemical use and maintenance costs besides improving water quality.

Handouts
  • November 2018 GSA Indianaoplis.pdf (2.1 MB)

    • Session No. 281

    T107. Arsenic, Manganese, Chromium, and Other Geogenic Contaminants, Including Radionuclides in Hydrological Systems—Source, Biogeochemical Cycling, Toxicity, and Removal II
    Wednesday, 7 November 2018: 1:30 PM-5:30 PM
    Room 133 (Indiana Convention Center)
    Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 6
    doi: 10.1130/abs/2018AM-321113
    © Copyright 2018 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.
    Back to: T107. Arsenic, Manganese, Chromium, and Other Geogenic Contaminants, Including Radionuclides in Hydrological Systems—Source, Biogeochemical Cycling, Toxicity, and Removal II
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